Hey everyone, Tyler Arthur here, welcome to my weekly NFL column.
I am going to be using this space to keep all of you guys up to date with what you may have missed in the NFL, the biggest takeaways and stats, and then preview the upcoming week and what I think you need to be watching next.
Thanks for reading, now let’s get into this week’s column.
“I’m baaaaaaaaaaack.” – Cam Newton, and also the Kansas City Chiefs, probably.
This was yet another wild week of NFL football, with the aforementioned returns accompanied by some teams that never left continuing their success and others struggling. Lots of games were close, some were blowouts, and most importantly, we had our first tie of the season! Yes, the 0-17 dream is dead, but hey, who doesn’t love a tie? What a week.
As you can tell, we have plenty to get into, so let’s not waste time.
So, what happened This Week in the NFL?
Upset of the Week (Double Upset Special!)
Baltimore Ravens @ Miami Dolphins
On Thursday Night Football, we had a very surprising upset, with the 2-7 Dolphins defeating the 6-2 Ravens 22-10 after a low scoring game through three got crazy in the fourth quarter. As the fourth started, it was 6-3 to Miami. Xavien Howard scored on a 49-yard fumble return and the Ravens couldn’t catch up. Mark Andrews did score but it wasn’t enough, and Tua Tagovailoa punctuated his return to action with a rushing TD to put the game to bed. Somehow, though, I don’t think this was the biggest upset of the week.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Washington Football Team
The Dolphins weren’t the only 2-win team who toppled a 6-win team this week. In fact they didn’t even topple the best of them. The Washington Football Team earn my number one upset of the week by defending home field against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They dominated Tampa for the majority of the first half, with Tom Brady looking lost. The Bucs only scored two field goals in the entire first half and TB12 had thrown two interceptions on the first three drives, while the WFT literally scored points on all four of their first half drives. Their three field goals and a TD made it a 16-6 lead at the half.
The Bucs were better in the second half, but not good enough. Washington genuinely held their own in this game and the win was no fluke. The final score of 29-19 reflected the performance and they will hope to take this momentum as they rectify their poor start to the season when they head to Carolina in Week 11.
Winners and Losers… And Ties!
Winners
Miami Dolphins (3-7)
Dallas Cowboys (7-2)
Tennessee Titans (8-2)
Indianapolis Colts (5-5)
New England Patriots (6-4)
Buffalo Bills (6-3)
Washington Football Team (3-6)
Carolina Panthers (5-5)
Minnesota Vikings (4-5)
Philadelphia Eagles (4-6)
Green Bay Packers (8-2)
Kansas City Chiefs (6-4)
Losers
Baltimore Ravens (6-3)
Atlanta Falcons (4-5)
New Orleans Saints (5-4)
Jacksonville Jaguars (2-7)
Cleveland Browns (5-5)
New York Jets (2-7)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3)
Arizona Cardinals (8-2)
Denver Broncos (5-5)
Seattle Seahawks (3-6)
Las Vegas Raiders (5-4)
Ties!
Detroit Lions (0-8-1)
Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3-1)
Bye Week
Chicago Bears (3-6)
Cincinnati Bengals (5-4)
New York Giants (3-6)
Houston Texans (1-8)
Standout Individual Performers
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
70% completion rate, 406 passing yards and 5 TD’s.
Yeah, either the Raiders defense from 2020 is back or the Chiefs offense from 2020 is back. Maybe both. Patrick Mahomes was like a man possessed in Vegas on Sunday Night Football. He threw the ball 50 times, with 35 of those attempts being completed. Those completions amassed 406 passing yards, a season-high, and five passing touchdowns (for the second time this year). The most talented arm in football was on full display and this was his most complete performance of the year, with no interceptions and less mental mistakes than in the last two months. The Chiefs have won three on the trot now and will be looking to keep that momentum going in an epic matchup against Dallas next week.
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
77% completion rate, 296 passing yards, 2 passing TD’s and a rushing TD.
Speak of the devil. The Cowboys had a terrible performance in Week 9, getting blown out by the Denver Broncos (was way worse than the score finally showed after two garbage time TD’s). However, they bounced back this time out and were absolutely ruthless. Their loss last week was nothing compared to the 43-3 destruction of the Falcons they put on this week. Dak Prescott led the way, throwing 296 passing yards and accounting for three total TD’s. Number 4 looked to be at full health, and whether it’s ill-advised or not (especially in a blowout), he looks willing to put everything out there. Next week there will be some fireworks when these two meet.
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
75% completion rate, 366 yards and 2 TD’s.
Yet another bounce-back game here, the Buffalo Bills were the stars of our first entry of upset of the week, losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars. This week they put forward a much better showing, with Josh Allen returning to his usual form. He completed 21 of 28 passes and threw for 366 yards and a pair of TD’s. This effort wasn’t without assistance, as Allen’s number one receiver showed up in a big way.
Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills
8 receptions for 162 yards and a TD.
Stefon Diggs is never truly quiet. In the games he doesn’t have a huge yardage, he usually scores, and vice versa. However, he hadn’t had a really big receiving day since Week 4. This week was more like what we can expect from him. Against a struggling New York Jets defense, he commanded 13 targets and hauled in 8 of them. Those 8 catches resulted in 162 yards and he scored his fourth TD of the year. That’s the Stefon Diggs we know and love.
Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
9 receptions for 143 yards.
One of the true stars of the NFL’s future, second-year WR Justin Jefferson continues to show how much he can change a game of football. The Vikings wideout was targeted 11 times and turned 9 receptions into 143 yards. The Vikings were able to top a tough matchup, on the road against the Chargers. Averaging 15+ yards per reception is pretty impressive, but Jefferson does so over his career.
CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
6 receptions, 94 yards and 2 TD’s.
Another second-year receiver who is setting himself up for a long and impressive career, CeeDee Lamb had another great performance in the Cowboys’ blow out of the Falcons this week. He caught the ball just 6 times but scored twice and was able to record 94 yards in doing so. The NFL is in good hands with some of these young star wideouts.
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
8 receptions, 119 yards.
When I said the Chiefs were back, I meant it. Travis Kelce tortured the Raiders all night long and finished his night with 8 receptions from 10 targets and had 119 yards. Despite looking much better this year, the Vegas defense was right back to square one in trying to stop the best tight end in football. He is the biggest mismatch in football and his third 100-yard game will undoubtedly not be his last, especially with the offense playing like it was on SNF.
Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs
7 receptions, 83 yards and 2 TD’s.
I’m not going to drag it out, you already know about how dominant the Chiefs were last night. Tyreek Hill was a key part of that, too. The speedster scored twice while catching 7 of his 10 targets for 83 yards. He also drew quite a lot of coverage away from his teammates, which clearly worked out pretty well.
Darrel Williams, Kansas City Chiefs
11 rushes for 43 yards and 9 receptions for 101 yards and a TD.
The Chiefs offense: Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill and… Darrel Williams. Okay, last Chief, I promise. But, man, I can’t ignore Williams’ efforts. With CEH injured, he’s gotten a much better opportunity lately and this week he made real good use of it. He rushed for a reasonable 43 yards on 11 carries, but he also commanded 9 targets, catching all of them. The fourth-year RB turned his 9 receptions into 101 yards and a TD through the air.
Cooper Kupp, LA Rams
11 receptions, 122 yards
There’s only so many times that I can tell you all how good at football Cooper Kupp is. With Robert Woods injured, Kupp was even more of a focal point for the offense, he had 13 targets and turned 11 receptions into 122 yards despite the Niners defense looking really tough.
Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
5 receptions, 97 yards and a TD, plus 5 rushes for 36 yards and a TD.
The Niners offense wasn’t too bad either. Deebo Samuel, who is having an absolutely amazing year, had yet another awesome game against a very stout Rams defense. He played a hybrid role in the offense, getting 5 targets as well as 5 rush attempts. On the ground he produced 36 yards and scored a TD. His receiving work, catching all 5 targets, turned into 97 yards and another score. Having Deebo firing on all cylinders, and seeing a return of George Kittle means the San Fran offense could be much more dangerous, as the Rams discovered last night.
Rhamondre Stephenson, New England Patriots
20 carries, 100 yards and 2 TD’s.
The New England Patriots are playing some pretty good football right now, and their young players are showing up. Rookie QB Mac Jones has been impressive lately and some of their second-year players have looked awesome this season. However, yesterday, Rhamondre Stevenson stole the show. The rookie RB out of Oklahoma had his first real workload, due to Damien Harris’ concussion, and made damn good use of the opportunity. He carried the ball 20 times, and rushed for 100 yards, scoring twice. Once again we saw proof that the Pats running game is very capable in whichever hands it is placed on any given week.
AJ Dillon, Green Bay Packers
21 rushes, 66 yards and 2 TD’s, plus 2 receptions for 62 yards.
Another young RB who got increased opportunity this week, AJ Dillon showed himself to be very capable in an elevated role. Aaron Jones got injured and the bruising back stepped up. He has been featuring more this season, however, this was his first time breaking 20 carries on the year, and just the second of his career. Dillon rushed 21 times for 66 yards and scored twice. The Packers RB also put up 62 receiving yards on a couple of catches, taking one quick catch for 50 on their final drive, to put the game to bed.
D’Andre Swift, Detroit Lions
33 rushes, yes 33, for 130 yards.
The biggest source of excitement from the Lions’ matchup with the Steelers was of course them concluding in the first tie of the year. However, some recognition for D’Andre Swift seems necessary. Someone who usually serves as a third down back with 8-15 carries each week suddenly became a workhorse back. Swift carried the ball a whopping 33 times, and turned that workload into 130 yards. Naturally, he had more time to play than normal, but even if that wasn’t the case, his 4 yards per carry over a sustained volume should give the Lions staff confirmation they can definitely trust him to carry the load.
Devin White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
13 solo tackles, 18 combined, and 2 sacks.
The Buccaneers may have lost, and there was very little to celebrate on offense, however, Devin White had a day. The star linebacker made an impressive combined 18 tackles, 13 of which were solo, for a start. He got two sacks, despite previously having none on the season. The third-year LB was all over the field, and the surprise L was not for the lack of his defensive efforts.
Eric Kendricks, Minnesota Vikings
8 combined tackles, 1 sack and an acrobatic interception.
What a performance. The Vikings had a big statement win over the Chargers, one of the best teams in the AFC. At the heart of their containing of the high-powered LA offense was their middle linebacker Eric Kendricks. He was absolutely awesome. The 29-year-old LB got a sack among his 8 combined tackles. Kendricks also managed to make an acrobatic diving interception, pulling it right out of the hands of a receiver.
Jimmie Ward, San Francisco 49ers
2 tackles and 2 interceptions, including a pick six.
The Niners offense showed up in a big way yesterday, but their defense was just as impressive. They held the Rams to just 10 points and Jimmie Ward had a big day, with two interceptions. His two interceptions came on back to back drives to open the game, including a pick six on the second. This put the Rams in a hole, losing 14-0 with the Niners offense only having one drive (although, to be fair, that drive was an 18-play, 93-yard, 11-minute drive, so fair play).
Games to watch back
Vikings @ Chargers
Buccaneers @ Washington
Seahawks @ Packers
Stat Leaders Through Week 10
Passing Yards – Matthew Stafford, 3014
Passing TD’s – Tom Brady, 27
Rushing Yards – Derrick Henry and Jonathan Taylor, 937
Rushing TD’s – James Conner, 11
Receiving Yards – Cooper Kupp, 1141
Receiving TD’s – Cooper Kupp, 10
Total TD’s – James Conner, 12
Tackles (combined) – Denzel Perryman, 102
Sacks – Myles Garrett, 13.0
Interceptions – Trevon Diggs, 8
Week 11 Preview – What to watch
Week 11 Best Games
Colts @ Bills, 6pm
Packers @ Vikings, 6pm
Bengals @ Raiders, 9:05pm
Cowboys @ Chiefs, 9:25pm
Week 11 – Storylines and who to watch
Super Bowl LI rematch, Patriots @ Falcons, TNF
Indianapolis heat check after winning four of last five, Colts @ Bills, 6pm
Can Baltimore bounce back against a struggling Chicago team? Ravens @ Bears, 6pm
How will AJ Dillon do with the full workload in a big NFC North clash? Packers @ Vikings, 6pm
Tank Bowl!!! Who can lose this one? Dolphins @ Jets, 6pm
Two 5-4 teams who have high aspirations, who will win? Bengals @ Raiders, 9:05pm
An epic clash between two of the top teams – NFC vs AFC, Cowboys @ Chiefs, 9:25pm
Seattle try to cling on to their season’s hopes in a tough matchup, Cardinals @ Seahawks, 9:25pm
